Classic Southern Meatloaf with Tomato Sauce

4.99 from 51 votes

Classic meatloaf seasoned with onions, bell peppers and a sweet & tangy tomato sauce.

Prep Time15

Cook Time1

Total Time1 15

Course: Entree

Cuisine: American

Servings: 1-inch slices

Calories: 593kcal

Combine sauce ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside
3 cups ketchup, ⅓ cup brown sugar, 1 teaspoon dry mustard, 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
Lightly spray broiler pan; set aside
spray oil
Lightly beat eggs in a bowl; set aside
2 whole eggs
Preheat oven to 375°
Combine all meatloaf ingredients into big bowl; with clean hands, mix ingredients until combined; do NOT overwork the meat
2½ lb. ground beef, ¾ cup chopped yellow onions, ¾ cup chopped green bell peppers, 1½ cups bread crumbs, 2 whole eggs, 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, 1 tablespoon dry mustard, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon garlic powder
Place beef mixture onto counter and shape into a rectangular loaf
Place on lightly oiled broiling pan and bake uncovered for 30-45 minutes, or until meat has reached 150° internal temperature
After it has reached 150ºF, remove from oven, pour some tomato sauce over the top and return to oven
Bake until internal temperature reaches 160ºF and tomato sauce is thickened
Remove from oven; allow meatloaf to sit for a few minutes, then slice and serve

The tomato sauce:

This makes more than enough to coat the top, but I always double the recipe because everyone wants to drizzle more over their slice of meatloaf.

Make the sauce first and set it aside
The onion and bell pepper will be slightly crunchy; if you don't like any crunchy texture, saute them in a skillet, then drain them and pat dry with a paper towel before adding them to the beef mixture
Pour sauce over the top when the internal temperature of the loaf is about 150ºF; then, put it back in the oven for about 15 minutes until the sauce thickens and the internal temperature is 160ºF
Allow meatloaf to rest about 5 minutes before slicing